SUPERSTAR NEWS
Swanson Elementary School - March 2024
Swanson Inclusion Week
No School - Thursday, March 14th and Friday, March 15th
Parent/Teacher Communication Conferences
Wednesday, March 13th 4:00 - 8:00 PM
Thursday, March 14th 8:00 - 4:00 PM
Building a Strong Parent-Teacher Partnership
What makes the difference in how your child performs in school? The answer might surprise you. It’s not your child’s IQ, the teacher, the school, or your educational level. Although all of these play a part, study after study tells the same story. Children who do best in school have parents who are actively involved in their child’s education. One of the best ways to get involved is continuing to build a strong parent-teacher partnership.
You are encourage to come to your communication conference with questions and information that will help both you and the teacher strengthen the team effort you share educating your child.
Thank you.
Mrs. Jennifer Harr
Parent/Teacher Conferences: Dessert and Drink Donations
Below is a sign up genius for anyone who would like to donate drinks or dessert for parent teacher conferences coming up in March! If you are able to help, please drop off at the front office the week of March 11. Thank you for your consideration! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns and feel free to share!
Best,
Amanda Blumkin
Scholastic Book Fair
The Scholastic Book Fair is in the Swanson Library this year. Students will preview the books during school on March 8th. Then the shop will be open for business during conferences on March 13th (3:30 - 8 pm) and March 14th (8 am - 3 pm).
Or, use the following link to purchase online:
https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/carlaswansonelementarysch
Help Needed!
Please consider signing up for a one or a two hour shift to help setup, be a cashier, or teardown on Thursday. It's a great way to meet some other parents and see the joy kids get from picking out books.
Spring Picture Day! Thursday, March 22nd!/Order your Spring School Pictures today!
Bring your smile and your pre-paid picture order form!
The photographer will only take pictures of students who have a order form in hand. These pictures are optional but a fun picture to have to see growth and changes throughout the year!.
You now have the convenience to place an online order for School Pictures. The order must be placed by midnight the night before your picture date on March 22nd since not every child will have an individual picture taken.
Please click the link below to place your order.
Swanson Staff Appreciation Week - March 25th - March 29th
Dear Swanson Parents,
It is that time of year when parents might inquire about their child’s placement for next year. Before the end of this school year, all professional staff will meet with appropriate grade level teams to determine the best placement for all students.
Much thought, dialogue and time will go into establishing classroom lists for the 2024-25 school year. Our teachers are insightful and qualified to place students in classrooms with teachers who best fit student educational needs. Many considerations are involved in the process. The following criteria will be used to determine placements.
Staff input
Number of students
Number of boys/girls
Academic abilities/needs
Social/behavioral needs
Independent/dependent learners
Leadership skills
Peer relations
Learning styles
As a parent, you may offer your thoughts about your child’s placement. You are an important part of your child’s educational team and we value your feedback. If you choose to provide input, we ask that you:
Make a formal request in writing (by email to harr.jennifer@westside66.net is acceptable) no later than March 20th, 2024
Requests should reference your child’s learning style and type, not the specific teacher you wish your child to have.
If there has been a request made in a previous year that still applies, please make sure we are aware of the necessary details for placement in the 2024-2025 school year.
Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education. We appreciate your support and understanding of our placement process and the guidelines set forth.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Harr and The Swanson Staff
District Wide Instrumental Music Festivals:
Fifth and Sixth grade Band and String students will be participating in district wide Instrumental music festivals. These concerts will feature students from fifth grade, sixth grade, Westside Middle School and Westside High School. Detailed information about our rehearsals and performances will be sent out through students, please mark you family calendar for the following events:
Westfest String Festival
5th and 6th grade String Students: violin, viola, cello and bass)
Tuesday, March 26, Westside High School, 7:00 pm*
*sixth grade parents will be able to attend the Outdoor Ed Meeting prior to the concert
Band-o-rama Extravaganza
5th and 6th grade Band Students: flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, french horn, trombone, baritone and percussion Monday, March 25, Westside High School, 7:00 pm
6th Grade Parent Night
Hello!
If you are receiving this, you are the parent or guardian of a 6th grader who will be transitioning to Westside Middle School next fall. This is an exciting time!
We have several important dates we hope you mark on your calendar. Your first event is 6th Grade Information Night, an event organized to help introduce you and your student to their future school. Both students and parents are invited to 6th Grade Information Night; you may pick the night that works best for you. When you arrive, you will report to the Performing Arts Center (PAC).
Tuesday, March 26th at 6:00 - 7:30pm
Wednesday, March 27th at 6:00 - 7:30pm
Families will be attending three break out sessions in order to gain more information about WMS.
Middle School 101: Find out about dress code, expectations, bus, after-school study hall, iPads, etc.
Grading: Learn about grading at Westside Middle School
Athletics/Clubs/Activities/Involvement: Learn about the different opportunities for students to be involved with at WMS.
Counselors will be available to ask questions about schedules, but they do not have a specific rotation.
The second event is Warrior Walkabout. This event, involving students only, allows current 6th graders to meet each other and explore Westside Middle School through fun activities. It will take place in the afternoon of Friday, May 10th during the normal school day. Students will eat at their elementary school and then travel by bus to Westside Middle School. This has been a very positive event in helping our students feel better about heading to middle school.
We can’t wait to welcome you to Westside Middle School! Please contact your child’s teacher or principal if you have additional questions. We will see you in March!
Kim Eymann
Principal, Westside Middle School
EY News
Please look over the EY newsletter.
You will find ideas for projects, badges, mini sparks
and contest results.
Jenny Henningsen
Sunset & Swanson
Digital Dozen Award
The Excellence In Youth Team is excited to showcase Arju A., Cooper F., Henry L. and Peter B. from Swanson as the most recent recipients of the Digital Dozen award for the 23-24 school year! The Digital Dozen award is presented to WCS students who earn 12 of the digital badges from the EY Website (ey.westside66.org), which is available to students district-wide. It takes self-motivation, grit, and determination to earn these badges, and these star students should be proud of this accomplishment!
The Excellence In Youth Team is proud to showcase star student Karnitha K. from Swanson as the most recent recipient of the Digital Dozen award for this school year! This is the second award for Karnitha. Her favorite badge that she completed for the digital dozen was the Britannica Challenge. She is working on the Valentine's Day badge and is working towards her third digital dozen!
Congratulations, Karnitha!
Swanson Community Club Website
Parents & guardians if you haven't yet, please log into the Swanson Community Club website and sign up or just update your information. So much information can be found here including, the school directory, calendar of events, our school store, and most importantly you will receive the monthly Community Club newsletter. This information in the newsletter lets you know what is coming up for events at the school.
Be sure to activate your account! Any questions please reach out to Sarah Troia at
NSCAS State Testing
This coming April, our 3rd through 6th grade students will take part in Nebraska's Annual state testing in reading and math with 5th graders also participating in science. These tests, known as NSCAS (Nebraska Student-Centered Assessment System) are one of many ways we measure how well our instruction is working to support student learning. If your child is a 3rd through 6th grader, their teacher will be communicating testing dates. It's important on testing days that students are well fed, well rested, and ready to do their best!
Too Sick for School
When is too sick for school?
Has a temperature of 100.4 or higher
Is vomiting
Has diarrhea
Eye is pink and crusty
May return when….
Fever free without the use of fever reducing
medication (Tylenol/acetaminophen, Motrin/ibuprofen)
for 24 hours
Not vomiting for 24 hours
Haven’t had diarrhea for 24 hours
Eyes are no longer pink or crusty
or have had 2 doses of antibiotics
Navigating Screens and Social Media
WHS Life Complex & Parking Updates
Please help us as we prepare for some exciting construction to begin on the high school campus on March 4th. This will impact parking and we will need all hands on deck to help with this important transition.
As you may recall, the Westside Foundation announced its Impacting Excellence campaign in October 2023. This campaign’s goal is to fund the work for a new Life Complex at Westside High School through private donations. This innovative project will bring new, top-notch facilities for many of our academic programs and athletic programs, reaching the whole life of our students. You can learn more about the campaign and project HERE.
Construction work will begin on Monday, March 4, 2024. Knowing how vital the high school is to our community we have worked diligently to create as little impact as possible. For the safety of our young drivers, we are closing the parking lot between the football field and the baseball field as this is where the large, heavy construction equipment will be stationed and operational.
We have secured other locations for temporary parking while we have this athletic parking lot closed. You can find them on the map HERE. Westside Community Schools Administrative leaders and Westside High School team members will be on site to help students as we navigate the transition to these new parking locations.
We appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we undergo temporary inconveniences in order to build a lasting impact for our students and community for many years to come.
First Friday Spirit Day!
Each first Friday of the month is Swanson Spirit Day. On this day we all wear our Swanson logo wear or school colors, blue and white, to show our spirit. We begin our day by saying the Swanson Pledge together. It’s a fun day filled with terrific Swanson spirit! Our next First Friday Spirit Day is Friday, April 12th.
23/24 Breakfast and Lunch Menu
Email is a great way to communicate with your child’s teacher. The Westside format is as follows:
lastname.firstname@westside66.net
Sample: harr.jennifer@westside66.net
Swanson Web Page
No School - April 1 - 5 - Spring Break
Calendar Reminders
March 5 Community Club Meeting, 6:30 pm
March 13 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4-8 pm
March 14 Parent-Teacher Conferences, 8 am - 4 pm
March 14-15 No School for Students
March 21 6 Gr. Vocal Music Festival, 7 pm @ WHS
March 22 Spring Picture Day
March 25 5th/6th Grade Band-O-Rama, @ WHS, 7 pm
March 26 Westfest @ WHS, 7 pm
March 28 Bingo Night @ WMS, 6 pm
March 29 Early Dismissal, 1:00 pm
March 25-29 Staff Appreciation Week
April 1-5 NO School-Spring Break
April 9 C.C. Mtg., 6:30 pm
Welcome to Swanson! Home of the Superstars!
The Mission of Swanson School, as a dynamic community alliance and model of innovative education, is to support and empower all learners to achieve academic excellence.
School Improvement
Swanson's school improvement goal is all students will increase reading comprehension.
Swanson's Expectations
- Be Safe
- Be Respectful
- Be Responsible
Email: harr.jennifer@westside66.net
Website: swanson.westside66.org
Location: 410 South 86th Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: 402-390-6485
Facebook: facebook.com/SwansonElementary
Twitter: @swansonstars66